The South African Constitutional Court on Friday dismissed the application by eight opposition parties to force National Assembly Speaker Max Sisulu to schedule a debate on a motion of no confidence against President Jacob Zuma.

Opposition parties led by Democratic Alliance (DA) parliamentary leader Lindiwe Mazibuko demanded in the application that the motion be heard "as a matter of urgency" before Dec. 7.

"The Concourt agrees with our view that this motion is not urgent and therefore undeserving of parliament's urgent consideration. There is no basis in law for this type of motion to take precedence over other business of parliament," said African National Congress (ANC) Chief Whip Mathole Motshekga.

Declining the demand that the motion be heard "as a matter of urgency," nine Concourt judges ruled that the matter can only be heard by the Constitutional Court on March 28, 2013.

The ANC on Friday said the motion was deliberately timed to tarnish Zuma's image ahead of the party's 53rd National Elective Conference set for Dec. 16-20. Opposition parties maintain that Zuma is no longer fit to rule South Africa.

The ANC welcomed the ruling, saying scheduling this motion urgently and summoning members of Parliament back to the adjourned parliament as demanded by the opposition parties, "would have disrupted parliament's program placed unnecessary administrative, logistical and financial burden on the parliament."

Judge Dennis Davis had earlier urged the opposition parties to stop politicizing the courts by involving them in their political battles.

However, Mazibuko said in a statement on Friday that while the DA was disappointed by the ruling it takes as "great victory" that the Constitutional Court had agreed to hear the case.

"The Constitutional Court has agreed to hear my application on the ANC's attempts to delay the debate on the motion of no confidence in President Jacob Zuma, as well as the Speaker's failure to break the political deadlock and schedule the debate," Mazibuko said.

The motion was brought on the grounds that under Zuma's leadership, "the justice system has been politicized and weakened; corruption has spiralled out of control; unemployment continues to increase, the economy is weakening, and the right of access to quality education has been violated."